Gary Derbyshire talks about the loss that spurred him to join the care sector

23 August 2017

Gary Derbyshire, founder of Ribble Valley live-in care provider Promedica24 UK, talks us through how his own experience of loss spurred him to start up his own business in the care sector.

I’d worked in large companies that have links to elderly social care for over 20 years and saw first hand the impact that moving into care can have on people. The lack of control over their own life can make them feel vulnerable at a time when they most need reassurance.

When my father-in law passed away suddenly in 2015, both myself and my wife Gill reassessed our priorities. I felt increasingly like I’d achieved all I wanted to in my career and it was time to utilise my skills and make a real difference in my community.

One of my previous roles was for the Met Office, helping people with respiratory conditions who were adversely affected by certain weather conditions. After travelling to Africa and helping to alert local populations to extreme weather shocks, I realised the impact that I could make on people who were disadvantaged, either because of the environment they live, their health or their background. This is an eye-opening experience that I have always held close to my heart.

We launched the Ribble Valley branch of Promedica24 back in September 2016 with a simple mission in mind – to keep the elderly and vulnerable out of hospitals and care homes by providing 24 hour, live-in care. Our ethos is to preserve independence and dignity and essentially alleviate the need for people to remain in hospitals for longer than necessary.

More often than not people want to remain in the comfort of their own home and we see no reason why this shouldn’t happen. Our carers live in the home with their clients, providing assistance with everyday tasks that they may find difficult, such as personal care, through to cooking and cleaning.

Building a trusting relationship with a carer provides the peace of mind that the client, and their family, needs to remain at home. They become more than just a live-in carer, they become companions and an extension to the family.

When myself and Gill set up the Ribble Valley branch of Promedica24, we had a vision that the type of care we delivered would be of such a quality that we’d be happy to use it for our own family, if needed. No-one should have to leave a home they’ve worked hard to attain and we are passionate about keeping people independent, safe and well in a place of their choosing, for as long as possible.

For more information about the care packages available in the Lancashire and Ribble Valley area, call Gill or Gary on 01254 375 023 or 07419 111 981.